Construction began a couple of weeks ago on an athletic complex that will be the biggest city park to be built in one stage in the north suburb's history, according to Jerome Krieger, program supervisor for Blaine's Parks and Recreation Department.

Meanwhile, the National Sports Center has plans to nearly double its field space.

The new 38-acre city park will include two full-size baseball fields, four multipurpose fields to accommodate football, soccer and lacrosse, two tennis courts, four pickleball courts, a full-size basketball court and a park building to house concessions and community meetings.

A picnic area will be included on the footprint, as will a playground, Krieger said.

The complex's parking lot will moonlight as a skating rink in the winter.

"This serves a big need with all the population growth we've seen in the last five years or so," Krieger said. "Every park we have that has a baseball field on it is in use at least six days a week right now."

The city's population has grown from about 45,000 to roughly 62,000 in the past 10 years, Krieger said.

The $5 million complex will be located at 4286 121st Ave. N.E., just off Lexington Avenue and north of Interstate 35W in the northeast quadrant of the city.

It's expected to be completed by November 2015.

"This will definitely be our last big (park)," Mayor Tom Ryan said of the project. "We've been planning it for a couple years, and everyone is looking forward to it.

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... They need something in that area."

Another batch of fields will be springing up about seven miles away at the National Sports Center.

Operated by a nonprofit, the world's largest amateur sports facility secured $3.2 million in the state's bonding bill this past legislative session to help the sprawling sport's campus safeguard its claim to fame, according to Barclay Kruse, spokesman for the National Sports Center.

The money will be used to help pay for the creation of about 20 new multipurpose fields over the next several years on 77 acres of land already owned by the National Sports Center Foundation.

The site already is home to 46 fields.

About eight of the fields are expected to be ready in time for next summer's Schwan's USA Cup International Youth Soccer Tournament held annually at the NSC.

Due to space restraints, the center was forced to turn away teams from this year's tournament, which kicked off Friday with 1,060 teams, Barclay said.

"The goal here is economic impact for the state," Barclay said. "We know this will help us attract more teams and grow the USA Cup, which will generate revenue for the state in the first year. ... Not all building projects can say that."

The new playing surfaces also will allow the sports center to more frequently rotate field use, helping to preserve the quality of the turf over time, Kruse said.

The total budget for the expansion has yet to be determined.

Construction on the first eight fields is expected to start in August.